2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

TrE

24 2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

8th Jan 2015

2 min read

24

This is the first post of the 2015 repository rerun, which appears to be a good idea. The motivation for this rerun is that while the 12 repositories (go look them up, they're awesome!) exist and people might look them up, few new comments are posted there. In effect, there might be useful stuff that should go in those repositories, but is never posted due to low expected value and no feedback. With the rerun, attention is shifted to one topic per month. This might allow us to have a lively discussion on the topic at hand and gather new content for the repository.

The first repository to be rerun is the Boring Advice Repository, because of... on a whim.

Enter original motivation (by Qiaochu_Yuan):

This is an extension of a comment I made that I can't find and also a request for examples. It seems plausible that, when giving advice, many people optimize for deepness or punchiness of the advice rather than for actual practical value. There may be good reasons to do this - e.g. advice that sounds deep or punchy might be more likely to be listened to - but as a corollary, there could be valuable advice that people generally don't give because it doesn't sound deep or punchy. Let's call this boring advice.

An example that's been discussed on LW several times is "make checklists." Checklists are great. We should totally make checklists. But "make checklists" is not a deep or punchy thing to say. Other examples include "google things" and "exercise."

The Boring Advice Repository is filled with lots of diverse advice, I've summarized some of it in a comment below.

So what should go here? To go with Qiaochu_Yuan again (adding emphasis):

[...] Post other examples of boring advice. If you can, provide evidence and/or a plausible argument that your boring advice actually is useful, but [...] err on the side of boring but not necessarily useful [...].

Upvotes on advice posted in this thread should be based on your estimate of the usefulness of the advice; [...] do not vote up advice just because it sounds deep or punchy.

I don't know if you should post new advice here or in the original repository. Perhaps search the old repository with ctrl+f (when on windows) and if you don't get results, post it here.

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24 2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

by TrE

8th Jan 2015

2 min read

24

The first repository to be rerun is the Boring Advice Repository, because of... on a whim.

Enter original motivation (by Qiaochu_Yuan):

This is an extension of a comment I made that I can't find and also a request for examples. It seems plausible that, when giving advice, many people optimize for deepness or punchiness of the advice rather than for actual practical value. There may be good reasons to do this - e.g. advice that sounds deep or punchy might be more likely to be listened to - but as a corollary, there could be valuable advice that people generally don't give because it doesn't sound deep or punchy. Let's call this boring advice.

An example that's been discussed on LW several times is "make checklists." Checklists are great. We should totally make checklists. But "make checklists" is not a deep or punchy thing to say. Other examples include "google things" and "exercise."

The Boring Advice Repository is filled with lots of diverse advice, I've summarized some of it in a comment below.

So what should go here? To go with Qiaochu_Yuan again (adding emphasis):

[...] Post other examples of boring advice. If you can, provide evidence and/or a plausible argument that your boring advice actually is useful, but [...] err on the side of boring but not necessarily useful [...].

Upvotes on advice posted in this thread should be based on your estimate of the usefulness of the advice; [...] do not vote up advice just because it sounds deep or punchy.

I don't know if you should post new advice here or in the original repository. Perhaps search the old repository with ctrl+f (when on windows) and if you don't get results, post it here.

Repository

Personal Blog

24

Mentioned in

45Introducing the Instrumental Rationality Sequence

21Instrumental Rationality Questions Thread

10Instrumental Rationality Questions Thread

4Meetup : Atlanta January Meetup: Boring Advice & Stupid Questions

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Username11y130

This is a rant; probably skip it if you're not in the mood.

I have debit cards and credit cards but high debt and no savings. I am depressed and (because of that) have poor executive function (i.e., getting-shit-done ability).

I have a job where I can work flexible hours. An obvious solution to my problem would be to work more hours. And yet here I am not doing that!

I could also move to a place with lower rent, but that would require me to do some combination of throwing stuff out (which is work) and getting people to help me move my stuff to the new place (I have mobility issues that prevent me from doing a lot of lifting things). Also, I'm hoping my current low point won't last forever and I kind of like my current place and would hate to move out of it because of a hopefully temporary problem.

I could also see a therapist, but they cost money. I could also try drugs, but they cost money and most of the ones I've tried so far either do nothing (bupropion) or make things worse (paroxetine). (Except modafinil. Yay modafinil!)

I sure feel like a dummy for being incompetent at life, but feeling that way doesn't actually help me not be incompetent at life.

buybuydandavis11y40

but feeling that way doesn't actually help me not be incompetent at life.

In fact, it's making you more incompetent. Knock it off.

You're engaging in the classic "How do I hate me? Let me count the ways." What's wrong with me? Why can't I do this? I recall taking something of a sadistic glee in my own misfortunes and failings. I used to call it "self sadism". And those were the good days. On the worst days, I felt powerless and hopeless. "Incompetent at life". This is a maladaptive use of attention.

It's neither helpful nor... (read more)

14wadavis11y

Please, have this positive reinforcement. It was given to me when I needed it but I don't need it anymore so I'll pass it on. This has happened to many of us. We've been in these ruts, I've paid for fuel with nickels and dimes because I used all my quarters on food. Shit happens, problems pile up, but if you can stabilize, that means you can crawl out of the pit. We get overloaded, we can't fix everything at once, it feels like all the problems are too interconnected to fix. But you are capable and have worth, so treat where you are as the temporary situation it is and start dealing with it as such. Pick a problem and address it, the first one takes time but if you have food and shelter you have time. Once that is done pick the next problem, fix it, this one will go faster. Rinse and repeat. And four years later (YMMV) your will be counting your assets for a new credit card and have the pleasant shock that they are a gross positive. TL:DR Some people make this a way of life, some people treat it as a temporary place to be.

3Lumifer11y

That's a pretty common situation. An American way of living, one might say if feeling ranty :-) My point was simpler, though. People who "don't earn enough to have savings" are those who will literally be thrown out into the street or will start getting malnourished if they miss a paycheck. There are enough of those people in the Third World, but they don't have debit cards.

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